If there's a target ie Austin , Hastings , Knowles always does a great job , player and ball every time , I don't think for one minute this lad is underated , listen to the "pundits" on the box everyone of them saying good things.
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If there's a target ie Austin , Hastings , Knowles always does a great job , player and ball every time , I don't think for one minute this lad is underated , listen to the "pundits" on the box everyone of them saying good things.
Can I just say I don't care?
I agree about Lomax; very unlucky. With regard to Handley, granted he's nowhere near the rounded player Tommy is, but he did score 22 tries, only one less than Tommy, and in a side that finished just 4 points from bottom. A winger's main job is to score tries.......so on that basis.
I'm not so sure you could say it's ridiculous. Comparing Lomax to Blake Austin, Austin has scored more tries than him/provided more strike. Lomax has had a good season though, no doubt.
Peyroux's also been good for Saints, but compared to Josh Jones... Jones leads the competition in tackle busts and has made more meters than him. 3rd in the comp for offloads too.
Handley finished the season with 22 tries, so there you go.
I think Niall Evalds can consider himself a little unlucky/deserves a mention. Again Coote very good for St Helens, but he's had a great season at Salford.
In terms of MOS, I'm giving my backing to Jackson Hastings. I thought he was brilliant against Wigan the other night.
Regards,
STEVO
For the M.O.S. I think Jackson Hastings might nick it now he's a bit more consistent on performance and the panel usually are more bias towards attacking stats, Lomax is the much better defender compared to Austin and Hastings. The problem with Lomax is that his other team mates catch the eye and weaken his stature in the likes of Coote, Makinson, Walmsley more so than the Salford and Warrington counterparts.
It would be a bit of a shock if it went to Austin once he picked up his injury he started to lose ground over Lomax and Hastings.
I can’t see it being Austin. He was outstanding at the start of the season but has been either injured or just generally less dominant since then.
I don’t imagine it’ll be Coote either. He’s been great for us but much of his contribution has been with stuff that doesn’t really catch the eye. His stinker at Wembley won’t help his case, either.
Williams was poor for the first half of the year IMO. He’s on it now but not enough to take the award. Watts has been consistently good but I’d be surprised if it went to a prop.
Hastings has to be the clear favourite - he’s been excellent all year and as the star player in an arguably over-achieving team he’s captured plenty of attention.
He looked good until Knowles put him in his pocket that first Saints-Wire game. Hid in his shell every subsequent time we played them.
But for Coote's untimely injury and horror-show at Wembley, I'd go for him. But for his performances in, as you say, an over-performing team, I think Hastings deserves it.
Austin has looked good playing against weaker opposition.
Up to the votes being hidden, he had won 3 points for MOM 6 times - vs Huddersfield twice, Wakefield, Hull KR, London and Hull FC. His other 4 points came with 1 against Wakefield, 2 against Cas and 1 against Wigan. Taking all that into consideration, he had won 3 points against other teams form the top 5 (when both Wigan and Cas were out of form) and the rest came against lower clubs. G
This is one of the big flaws in the system IMO. Would you really want to see MOS go to a player in a "top" club who wants to play when it is easy pickings and goes missing in the games against the top clubs. Compare this to Jonny Lomax for example who has taken 3 points twice against Warrington this year (when both games were between the top 2 at the time) and it paints a different picture.
You could also argue that it is flawed in favour of good players in lower teams (such as Watts & Hastings) where it is easier to stand out as they are bigger fish in a smaller pond compared to players in the Saints team for example this year who have been consistently good but points have been shared around. FWIW HAstings has been very good and is probably the reason Salford are where they are now (and would be no argument from me if he wins it) but its easier for him to get 3 points in that Salford team than it is a player like Lomax who is competing alongside Coote, Roby, Walmsley, Thompson etc.
It is also worth noting that up until Hull away, Coote was the only player in the top 10 points who (bizzarely) hadnt received 3 points as the best player in a match and therefore had been in the top 3 more games than any other player at that point which you could argue he had been the most consistent player over that period but I think with the games he missed towards the end of the season he will struggle to win it overall.
To add to that if you look at the Goldthorpe Points System to reflect on the influence of the Man of Steel System.
Saints have had 6 players who have scored 10 points or more which is very significant compared to the remaining top teams:-
Saints...............6
Castleford..........4
Wigan...............3
Salford..............3
Warrington.........3
This would suggest a "one man team" that player would accrue lots of points as long as they win lots of games with the exception of Hastings who has picked up quite a few points even when he has been on the losing side.
Austin has 2 more tries but Lomax has 9 more assists. Plus when they have played against each other Lomax has wiped the floor with him.
Evalds is unlucky but Coote is the obvious choice. One of those situations where you’d pick Evalds on the wing ahead of Handley in a real team.
Hastings is probably favourite for Man of Steel, arguably been the most consistent out of all the leading contenders across the season, in a side not expected to do as well as they have. Lost a very effective half back partner in Lui half way through the season and still maintained his high standards.
Two good analysis's that get to the point, and point out the flaws in the system. However, with regard to Hasting being a good player in a lower team, I think his performances are integral to where Salford have finished. Whilst my vote would have gone to Lomax, I won't be upset if Hastings gets it.
Stats don’t show how much space Lomax creates for players around him or how many times he makes a half break which leads to a quick ruck etc. I wouldn’t want to run straight at him either, ask Kyle Wood.
Man of Steel would be Hastings though in my opinion.
Room for thought, as the Man of Steel is only associated with Superleague would Coote's poor performance in the Challenge Cup be null and void. If so the favourite in Hastings I'm almost sure has more poor performances in Superleague than Coote in my opinion. The latter having a bigger impact on winning percentage.
Anyone making a decision is just going to view the season as a whole rather than differentiate between competitions. Just the way minds work. I think there’s a case to be made for Hastings, Coote and Lomax above all others but Hastings has done it in a worse team whilst losing his half back partner half way through the season and I think that will push him ahead of the rest.